Web site helps seniors understand benefits

What happens when the retirement money pot is empty, and you can't pay for medical care, housing and many other services you expected to access easily in your senior years?

One place to look for answers to individual needs is the National Council on Aging's site, BenefitsCheckUp.org.

This is a free online service that helps older Americans and their families find and enroll in benefits programs that address vital needs, such as meal programs, heating bills, prescription and medical costs and property tax relief.

There are differences in eligibility for state and federal programs, said Wendy Zenker, the council's vice president who oversees Benefits CheckUp.

We talked about the programs and the complex application procedures.

Question. What's available on the Web site?

Answer. There's the comprehensive checklist, which is first on the site.

Filling out the form directs the person to federal, state and private benefits programs to help save on the costs of prescription drugs, health care, meals, utilities, taxes and some other categories. When you fill out the form, you get a personal checklist of what programs might apply to you.

Then there's the prescriptions checklist. This includes public and private programs to save money on prescription drugs and other Medicare costs. Plus there's information on Medicare's Extra Help, State Pharmacy Assistance, company patient assistance program and other federal and state programs.

Q. Now let's talk about food.

A. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP -- the new name for the federal Food Stamp Program) is in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Because budget deficits are forcing cutbacks in state programs, this benefit can be important for seniors right now.

Q. What's on the NCOA Web site about SNAP?

A. Benefits, eligibility standards, application information and state-specific hot line phone numbers. There are Web resources and links.

Q. Do many seniors use this site to find out what their benefits might be?

A. Since we launched in 2001, we've helped more than 2 million seniors and their caregivers find more than $6.8 billion in eligible benefits. NCOA's free online service has more than 1,650 public and private benefits programs from all the states.